Noon says it is a rare opportunity to see great examples of the work of a Renaissance master.

"They haven't left the UK in decades, and they have never actually been seen in North America," said Noon. "For us it's particularly important becauseit's an area in our collection which is not very strong, so we are able to bring a fantastic group of Veneitain Renaissance paintings by the greatest masters of that particular school."

Noon says the exhibit of 12 paintings and 13 drawings will be a rare opportunity to see Titian's work, and how he influenced other major artists, including Tintoretto, Veronese, Bassano and Lotto -- whose work will also be part of the exhibit.

The exhibit, "Titian and the Golden Age of Venetian Painting: Masterpieces from the National Galleries of Scotland," will be on display in February 2011.

Gallery

"The Virgin and Child with St. John the Baptist and an Unidentified Saint," painted about 1515-1520 by Titian (Tiziano Vecellio), is one of the paintings which will be on display at the MIA on loan from the National Gallery of Scotland.Image courtesy Minneapolis Institute of ArtsView full galleryLorenzo Lotto's "The Virgin and Child with Saints Jerome, Peter, Francis and an Unidentified Female Saint" was painted about 1505.Image courtesy of the Minneapolis Institute of ArtsThe Adoration of the Kings, painted in the early 1540s by Jacopo Bassano.Image courtesy of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts